For practical purposes, I’m calling this one complete as of the end of this year. At least one of the new stores was set up and ready for opening (Gee June Bridal) while a couple others were just starting to fit out their spaces with equipment for their own launches. Among them will be Halal Meat and Groceries, One Ring Donuts, Hair • Color • Art and Bramble, an herbal retailer, moving from its Press Bay Alley slot. Calzone restaurant D.P. Dough will move from the rear storefront to the front of the 108-114 West Green retail strip, right along West Green Street in the former Hausner’s Garage. The hawk mural was given a touch up courtesy of Connecticut-based street artist Ryan ‘ARCY’ Christenson.
The fitting out of the West Green Street retail units is ongoing, but the four apartment units are nearly complete with only minor finishing details left, and based off Press Bay Alley’s Instagram, it’s quite the transformation. From their facebook page:
Beautiful historic spaces with modern amenities. These apartments are truly unique. Original 1914 wood rafters and exposed wood deck ceilings, steel beams, and brick surfaces paired with completely new utilities and modern design features
• super-efficient air source heat pumps (heat and AC)
• all LED lighting
• brand new appliances (including dish washer and garbage disposal)
• tasteful modern cabinets with soft close hardware
• beautiful tile bathrooms with modern frameless glass shower enclosures
• freshly refinished original distressed hardwood floors
• Air tight spray foam insulation and high-performance rigid foam on the roof
• Sprinkler system for fire safety
Prices range from $1200-1300/month plus electric*
Included in the rent:
• WiFi Internet**
• Garbage and recycling disposal
• Water service
Apartments are substantially complete and available for a January 1 occupancy
*heat/AC and cooking are all electric, this is a fossil fuel free building
**building is NOT equipped with cable, internet is provided by high speed fiber optic line
$1200-$1300/month is more than the 75% AMI below-market units they were originally aiming for, but not by much – $1200/month works out to $48k-$52k/year, or 80-90% of the local AMI of $59k. “Workforce housing”, to borrow a Visum Development Group term for the 80-90% bracket.
The biggest deviation from the plans appears to be that the passage into the former Ithaca Journal press building has not been built, and instead of vegetation and hardscaping for the amphitheater and court pavers, it’s only vegetation. It’s not clear if the amphitheater and west entry to the press building will be built at a later time.
All in all, this is a great project to have in Ithaca’s Downtown. It extends the vitality of the Commons westward in a form sympathetic to the neighborhood and physical surroundings, making use of a vacant building. It also enhances Press Bay Alley by generating more foot traffic next door. It will provide complementary attractions to make downtown a more engaging place for visitors, and supplies a bit of new moderate-income housing. A big win for the city of gorges.
More info on the development of the project can be found here.
Ithacating in Cornell Heights 
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